Leland stanfoed and heney boot



(No Model.)

- L. STANFORD 82: H. ROOT.

GRIPE ATTACHMENT FOR CABLE RAILWAYS.

No. 247,276. Patented Sept. 20,1881.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LELAND STANFORD AND HENRY ROOT, on SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

GRIPE ATTACHMENT FOR CABLE-RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 247,276, dated September 20, 1881.

Application filed March 25, 1881.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, LELAND STANFORD and HENRY R001, of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improved Gripe Attachment for (Jable-Railways; and we hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

Our invention relates to certain improvements in the gripes which are employed to make a connection between the moving cable of wire rope or cable railways and the cars or dummies which are to be moved by the cable.

It consistsin providing cable-railways having an endless moving rope or cable traveling in an underground tunnel or tube with an improved gripe attachment secured to and operated from the fioor or bottom of a car by mechanism, substantially as hereinafter described, said gripe consisting of a wooden or other nonmetallic block and a jaw or gripe, as will hereinafter be fully set forth, and then pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a tip view of the upper jaw of the gripe. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the two jaws. Fig. 3 is a tip view of the lower jaw, with its pulleys or rollers. Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the two jaws.

In the ordinary construction of cable-railways the cars or dummies are connected with the rope or cable by which they are to be moved by means of gripes of various constructions. In some cases rollers have been used to form two opposing jaws, but in these cases metal dies have been placed between them to form the gripe, or similar dies have been forced against the rollers to prevent their revolution; but in neither case have the faces of the rollers been sufiicient to produce a gripe without the iron dies. In most cases the opposing jaws are provided with iron blocks or dies fitted into holders, so that they may be closed or griped upon the cable with a force suflicient to cause the car to be moved by the connection. It will be seen that until the car is started the cable must move between these dies with a gradually-increasing friction, and that either the cable or the dies must be rapidly worn by the'friction. In order to save the expensive cable, the dies are made of soft cast-iron, which will wear rapidly and must be replaced fre- (No model.)

quently. It has not been found practicable heretofore to run the cables at a speed above six or eight miles per hour, on account of this wear and the strain of starting the cars.

We have found by experiment that the frictional power of the end grain of wooden surfaces is double that of iron, while the wear is comparatively small. We therefore fit wooden dies Ainto the jaw B of our cable-gripe, these dies being of considerable length and secured in any suitable manner.

Other non-metallic substances may be fitted into the jaw B and used instead of the wooden dies.

In the presentcase we have shown the side plate, 0, of the jaw made movable, so that it may be opened and closed. In order to do this it is journaled at each end above the space occupied by the die. Arms Dproject upward from the plate 0, and a screw, E, has its head supported between these arms by a short shaft,

F. A nut, G, fits the threads of this screw 4 and rests against the bar H, to which the jaw is secured. When the die has been placed in position this nut is turned, and by its action upon the screw the arms D will be forced outward and the plate 0 will be pressed against the die A with a force which will hold it firmly in place. By this construction we are enabled to remove or replace the dies easily and in a few moments. Opposed to this die, which is of considerable length, is the jaw I, which contains the rollers J. These rollers are of considerable size, and when the jaws of the gripe are forced together the cable is compressed between the wooden or non-metallic die of one jaw and these rollers. The rollers are preferably placed in the lower jaw of the gripe and are grooved,'so that when the car is stationary the cable will be supported and run on these rollers. When the gripe is closed upon the cable the latter is gradually compressed between the dies and the rollers without being kinked or bent out of line. The rollers continue to revolve, while the frictional pressure of the dies upon the cable increases until it is sufficient to start the car slowly while the cable is still moving between the rollers and dies; but the rotation of the rollers and the character of the opposing dies will prevent any serious wear of the cable. The speed of the car is then against the rollers until the pressure is such that it holds the cable firmly between them and the car has attained its full speed. By this means the car is started gradually and withoutjerking, and the cable and dies will be subjected to much less wear. We are enabled to give the cable a greatly-increased rate of speed, as the strain of starting the cars is so much more gradual and is under perfect control.

The rollers will be found advantageous to relieve the strain of starting and to allow a higher rate of cable-speed. The holding power with rollers and a single fixed die of wood will be as much as when opposing iron dies are used in both jaws, because the frictional or griping power of wood is double that of metal.

We do not claim, broadly, the employment of opposing rollers in the twojaws of a cablegripe, either when supplemental griping-jaws are used or when the rotation of the rollers is stopped by forcible pressure upon the rollers themselves by means of dies or levers; but

What we do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- In cable-railways having an endless moving rope or cable traveling in an underground tube or tunnel, the combination of the improved die, consisting of the wooden or other non-metallic block A, with the jaw of the gripe, and 0 mechanism, substantially as set forth, for operating the said gripe from the floor of the car or dummy, substantially as described.

2. The jaw B of a cable-gripe, having the movable side plate, 0, the arm or arms D, 3 5 screw E, and nut G, or an equivalent device, whereby the die or block A is secured, substantially as herein described.

3. A cable-gripe consisting of the jaw B, having the wooden or other non-metallic die 40 or dies secured therein, as shown, in combination with the opposin g jaw carrying the rollers J, between the peripheries of which and the face of the block the cable is compressed and held by the closing of the jaws, substantially 4 5 as herein described.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

LELAND STANFORD. HENRY ROOT. Witnesses:

FRANK SHAY, CHARLES J. ToRBERT. 

